Metro Detroit consumes more Slurpees from 7-Eleven than any other U.S. market, so that's why the convenience store chain now is selling a Vernors Slurpee at more than 200 of its Michigan locations.

News of the slushed ginger ale drink broke last week to the delight of Vernors fans.

The idea for a Vernors Slurpee as a regional item was ginned up by 7-Eleven's in-house research department, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Vernors ginger ale, born in a Detroit pharmacy in 1866, is produced and distributed by Plano, Texas-based beverage giant Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE: DPS), which had $5.9 billion in total sales in 2013.

The ginger ale is produced in Holland, not Detroit.

7-Eleven opened a Detroit location, on Jefferson Avenue, in February — its first and only since the last store closed in 2003. Another is scheduled to open in May in Cadillac Square.

The Vernor family sold the company in 1966, and the brand has had a number of owners since then.

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, when it was known as Cadbury Schweppes plc, acquired Vernors when it bought A&W Brands for $334 million in 1993.

Oh, and the top Slurpee-consuming city worldwide is Winnipeg, Manitoba.